A Good Time to Hit Reset

August is not January.

You know that. Of course we all know that.

The year doesn’t start eight months in — and yet, wait a minute... it kinda does.

In America we tend to operate by the school calendar — that doesn’t mean we operate solely by the school calendar, but the year is still mostly divided up into two semesters, the Fall and Spring, with summer break as the great slow down in the middle.

And I love summer, especially August. It’s still very much summer, but it has a foot stepping toward the new season, the new “year.” It marks a great opportunity to take inventory on our routines and on the changes coming with Fall. We have to adapt to new schedules and shorter days, but we can still eat outside, at least for a little while longer, with a hoodie. August is a short, enjoyable, pivotal time. It’s good for hitting reset, both individually and corporately, practically and spiritually.

And how much more for us at Cities Church?

Tomorrow, August 2, stands as the first anniversary of the fatal explosion at Minnehaha Academy. Thinking back to last year at this time, our situation, at least in that moment, didn’t feel as uncertain as I think it was in retrospect. The greatest loss was suffered by the school, and the Berg and Carlson families. We were merely displaced on Sundays; we could figure it out — and we did, thanks be to God.

But we shouldn’t forget how faithful God was to us during all that. We were a young, growing church (still are, in truth and grace), and in an instance the logistics stability of our Sunday worship crumbled. It sent us reeling, hustling, doing whatever we can to get by. And a year later, to be honest, we’re still trying to find our feet. God has been good to us — he is good to us — but it’s been a goodness through trial.

I was talking with one of our pastors a couple days ago about you all, about how resilient and tough you are. We’ve had steady growth since we started in January 2015, and yet we’ve had so many people poke their heads into our church and decide to go elsewhere. Overall, it makes me just grateful for you. You people. Our church. Cities Church.

And here we are, nearly four-years old, having grown against all odds, and we are loved. God loves us so much. We are his people, bought by the blood of his Son, secured by the presence of his Spirit, and our future is full of hope. And I want us so badly to get that, to know that.

So that’s what is behind the new sermon series starting Sunday, August 5. It’s called “Gospel Reset.”

In God’s pleasure, and with the support of the pastors, I’m planning to preach four sermons that bring us back to the basics. I want us to step out and get fresh bearings on reality. Before we move on to what’s next I want us to dig into our foundations. Who is God? What is his heart? Who are we? Why does it all matter?